Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-11
THE LAND QUESTION.
AReYisw ct the Land Question in Texas.
The Lease LaW-Its Effect Upon the
States DEVELOPMENT.
The Wise Legislation that Made Railway
Companies Emigrant Agents Multi
fed by Wire FSuces

LINDEN, Ten, Feb. IS, 1851
To the Editor of the Gazette.
Having resided in Texas since 1887,
and having noticed and taken deep in
terest in her political, social and material
ststus and progress from her infancy a. &
! republic to her present era, I desire as q
citizen an voter to submit through The
columns Of THE GAZETTE some PROPOSE
lions and questions bearing directly upon
state policy.
We aliude to what is known as the
lease law. We desire TO direct attention
to the land question, and we put it III 9
different phase to what it has yet been
handled 80 far as We have noticed the
discussions.
Let il be observed upoE the first prop0-
sitiOn, that the school lands of the state
were located under the railroad Law.
granting sixteen sections of land 10 the
mile to all railroads running through the
state of grade not less than three feet.
Referring to R5vised Statutes, article
1861, act Of August 1G, 1876, l find that
the state Legislature enacted a law de-
mating sixteen sections Of land to the
mile to any railroad corporation hereto
fore chartered or which may be hereafter
organized under the general laws.
But under this law there were soma
stipuIatiOns which must be complied
with before railroad companies could
avail themselves CT it's broad and liberal
benefits.
Referring to article 1915, Revised
Statutes, same act, find that railroad
companies are required to make their sur
veyS in alternate sections, or half sec
tions, as n, arIy square as practicable
one Of such surveys for the company and
one for the state for the benefit Of the
public school fund.
Referring to arLicle 4277, same act,
fad that all lands acquired by rail
road companies under the provisions Of
the law above quoted, or ary
general lag, shall be aIieuated by seid
companies, one-h&lf in six years, and one
hall in twelve years from the issuance Of
patents. And all lands so acquired by
railrOzd companies and not aIienated
shall be forfeited to the state and become
q part Of the public domain and liable to
location and survey as other unapprOpri-
ated lands.
Nov, under this Iaw, it will be OBJ
served that wherever there is q section of
railroad laud there is also a section Of
school land, OF vice versa. And this
system of railroad donations accomps
MED by It's twin sister, the free school
land system, is coeval with the history o.
Texas legislation. Millions Of acres Of
our choice lands, enough to make g stat,
have thus been vested in railrOae cOmpa-
MES and the p1blic school fund; so then
with these facts in view, the land ques-
ton in Texas must be very
important one. The land system
above noticed, donating lands to
railroad companies and to the schools of
the state was the gTaudest idea ever con-
ceived to settle up a country. Way? Be-
cause the railroads were bound TO sell
their lands within six and twelve wears.
and the school lands were open to settle
ment on liberal terms. The railroa S be-
ing under the law bound to sell or forfeit
their land claims, they naturally became
agents and the most efficient
that could possibly be desired.
1t will be remem 0ered by all who trav-
eled on railroads that up to the spring Of
1883 the railroad trains going west Were
so crowded with immigrants that i was
frequently difficult for passengers Il get
oCato' 1HeSe 1uiulSE6HLS were QEtE9
brought by the railroad companies into
Texas to settle on railroad lands /
This system uninterrupted would
have given Texas an enormous.
population of laboring people Z
and more, it would have given the freeg
school lands neighbors intervening 81
along who were striking the eaIthto bring |
forth its fruits, and who would have IN |
Vited and induced their friends and refass,
tiyes to come and buy the school lands
and become their neighbors.
But this entire system was annulIed. |
This bright future for Texas was blotted
out on e dark day for her, on April y,
1888, by the advent Of the lease
aw. 1t will be remembered
that about that time there vase great |
cattle boom, capitalists wanted 20 put |
their money in it-men who were Rot
citizens of the state, perhaps, and neRsrf
to be. They came to Texas andz
viewed the situation. They said to the |
railroad companies, we want to bay |
arge blocks of land, we would buy yours
put these school lands intervene, and